Volume 37 • Issue 1 January 2009 Journal of the New Jersey Jazz Society Dedicated to the performance, promotion and preservation of jazz. Montclair theatre with a history as old A as vaudeville has been restored to its Oh, The Good Life original grandeur and is the newest home — and the first New Jersey venue — of By Tony Mottola Jersey Jazz Editor and Linda Lobdell Associate Editor New York’s The Bowery Presents music productions. Without wasting a moment, he walked on- smile on his face. He’s surely seen and handled stage, said “Thank you very much for coming it all in his many decades as a showman. Jersey Jazz was pleased to be invited to two tonight” and launched into a couple dozen significant events in the newly refurbished During “Maybe This Time” — after filling the wonderful tunes, delivered with charm and Wellmont Theatre’s first months of shows. theater with a long, ringing note at the song’s grace to a wildly appreciative audience. On November 19 we witnessed the talents bravura crescendo, the singer paused. “Is that and charisma of Tony Bennett. Amazingly, at When a “gentleman” in the crowd shouted loud enough?” he inquired, inviting peals of age 82, this legendary singer seems not to that he couldn’t hear Mr. Bennett’s between- laughter from the audience. have lost a step, punctuating his many hits song patter, he responded, “I can’t speak as continued on page 35 with spry pirouettes and deft bits of the old loud as you, sir.” More heckling ensued, soft shoe, and demonstrating the strength and prompting the singer to retort, “Pay attention, 2009 dynamic range his famous voice still boasts. clean your ears out. Quiet!” — all with a big Pee Wee Russell Memorial Stomp SUNDAY, MARCH 1 Birchwood Manor, Whippany Tony Bennett performs at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, November 19, 2008. ACT NOW! see ad page 5, and p 8 PHOTO BY TONY KURDZUK/THE STAR-LEDGER New JerseyJazzSociety in this issue: NEW JERSEY JAZZ SOCIETY Pres Sez/Bulletin Board . 2 NJJS Calendar . 3 The Mail Bag/Jazz Trivia . 4 Editor’s Pick/Deadlines/NJJS Info. 6 Music Committee . 8 December Annual Meeting . 44 Prez Sez November Member Meeting: Jon Burr. 45 By Andrea Tyson President, NJJS Win This Book: The Jazz Ear. 46 Crow’s Nest . 46 elcome back after what I hope was a very excellent service and we thank Don for all his New Members/About NJJS/ Membership Info . 47 Wgood year’s end for you. Our Annual efforts, always above and beyond the call of duty ARTICLES Meeting was well-attended and we thank all of you and one of my most trusted Presidential Advisors. Classic Stine . 9 who came to Shanghai Jazz to enjoy the music of He is recuperating from knee surgery and we wish Big Band in the Sky . 10 Talking Jazz: Norman Simmons. 12 the James L. Dean Quartet. They provided us with him well. Caryl Anne McBride continues as our Noteworthy . 24 some tasty tunes…along with the tasty food always Membership Chairwoman. Jazz U: College Jazz . 26 provided by Shanghai Jazz! REVIEWS New to our Board are three very talented people. Compact Views . 30 This year we presented the Nick Bishop Award to Carrie Jackson will assist us in our Education and Other Views. 30 Pam Purvis and Bob Ackerman for their many Development Committees, helping to book school Terrence Blanchard/ Spike Lee at NJPAC . 36 years of service to our educational outreach gigs for our Generations of Jazz outreach program Highlights in Jazz: program, Generations of Jazz. and other related tasks. She is so talented it’s diffi- Statesmen and Next Generation . 37 Cape May November Jazz Festival . 38 We have some board changes in our organization. cult to know exactly where she’ll lend a hand but we John Pizzarelli in Maryland . 39 Mike Katz will be our new Treasurer and we thank certainly do thank her for what I know will be valu- Monk at JALC . 40 able contributions. Pam Purvis is Musical Director Andrea Marcovicci/ Kate Casano for her years of service in that role. Nat King Cole Tribute at JALC . 43 Kate will remain on the board and we hope to tap of the Generations of Jazz program and I’m sure EVENTS her experience by having her serve on our Finance they will work very well together. Partial funding for ’Round Jersey: Morris, Ocean, Bridgewater . 48 and/or Development Committees. these performances comes from the Arts Council of Institute of Jazz Studies/ the Morris Area through the New Jersey State Jazz from Archives . 49 Laura Hull will replace Joe Lang as chair of our Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner Somewhere There’s Music . 50 Music Committee, as well as serving as our new The Name Dropper . 51 agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, Vice President, replacing Mike Katz. We welcome and we thank them for their support. ADVERTISERS Laura into her new roles and look forward to her B. Kukla books . 3 Another addition to our board this year is Mitchell Pee Wee Stomp . 5 contributions. Joe Lang was our Music Committee Shanghai Jazz . 7 Chair for several years, as well as Past President, Seidel who is legendary for his jazz photojour- James P. Johnson Research . 10 and we thank him for his many years of service. nalism, contributing excellent stories and photos Centenary College . 11 He, too, is remaining as a Director on our Board. to this magazine, as well as The Star-Ledger, and Unitarian Church at Summit . 13 Russ Moy Benefit . 15 We look forward to his Film Series at Chatham beyond. I have asked him to lend us his skills in Trumpets . 15 Library, which will be continuing in 2009. re-writing and editing our historical booklet docu- Community Theatre . 17 menting our 35 years and I am sure we will find Margie Notte CD Release – Cecil’s . 19 Steve Albin, our able Webmaster, has also become other assignments for his talents as time goes by. Seton Hall at SOPAC . 21 our Membership Secretary, handling the computer Watchung Arts Center . 22 Fred Taylor Trio at Cecil’s. 23 recordkeeping for our organization. Don Robertson Also, we are very fortunate to have Dan Guttman Bickford Theatre. 25 has retired from that position after many years of of Westfield joining our board. Dan will join us on Rent-A-Wife . 26 Arbors Records . 27 Bob Ackerman . 28 Hibiscus . 29 The Art Shop – Jazz on Vinyl . 30 Shelly Productions – Glen Rock Inn. 32 NJJS Bulletin Board Tamborlane – Vibraphone . 33 Margie Notte at Libretti’s. 33 North Carolina Jazz Festival . 34 FREE Member Meetings Next Member Meeting: January 18 at Trumpets. These are a fun way to meet fellow Skipper’s Plane Street Pub . 35 members and friends while enjoying programs that entertain and inform. Find some details on page 8. Free for members, Gil Benson Trio . 38 but also open to the public, so invite somebody! Watch for details on future get-togethers. CTS Images. 39 FREE Film Series Next Film: Wednesday January 28 in Chatham. Find some details on page 8. Jazzdagen Tours . 41 Marcia Steinberg . 42 Got E-mail? Some special offers for NJJS members are late-breaking — so please send your E-mail address to Jim Eigo Jazz Promo. 46 [email protected]. For example, one of our partners recently offered a generous buy-one-get-one-free ticket deal. Laura Hull . 52 We were only able to extend that offer to our E-mail list. Weichert Realtors. 52 Friends got E-mail? We’ve started a new initiative to further spread the word about NJJS. If you’ve got friends and relatives who’d like to receive our occasional E-mail blasts, please send their E-mail addresses to [email protected]. 2 __________________________________ January 2009 New JerseyJazzSociety Tell them you saw it in Jersey Jazz! the Marketing Committee to spread the word far and wide about and All That Brass 18-piece jazz/swing band. Call 908-591-6491 for our Society and its events. more info. We welcome our new board members with open arms and I And don’t forget Ed Coyne’s Jazz in January series at Centenary lots of work! College in Hackettstown www.centenarystageco.org. Check out his ad for specifics. He was very generous at our Annual Meeting and e’re looking at 2009 and seeing lots of hot jazz on the horizon. supplied us with some raffle giveaways. And I think Ed will be WPresident-Elect Obama wants jazz in his White House — we’ll contributing some of his marketing expertise to our Committee supply him with it if he asks us to do so. I know we’ve got the talent for our Jazzfest coming in June. Thanks, Ed! for him right here in New Jersey, evidenced by the following treats: I On March 1 our Pee Wee Russell Stomp is going to be hot, hot, I Start the year off right by going to the Chicken Fat Ball on hot at the beautiful Birchwood Manor. What a Sunday, January 4 at the Maplewood Women’s line-up for a cold winter day…March will sizzle. Club. This is a really hot ticket…but always Featured bands include Vince Giordano’s room for some more, so step right in and get Nighthawks, Danny Tobias’s Quintet, Dan tickets at the door. Levinson and his Swing Wing and Warren Jazz books Vaché’s Quintet. So lace up those dancin’ shoes I Another hot ticket is the NJJS co-sponsored and come on out for a rousing day of music and Benny Goodman Centennial Concert at dancing.